Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1887-03-31
THE TOWERS CT SILENCE.
A Visit to thh Burial Places ot the Far
nstS-Ihc yuIturVs,

k"eS-Ihr NuItures.
:, hrrlrc,l yards aist1i' through tho trees
intervening is nllc Of III" gloomy Towers Of
Silence, fully III keeping with its gloomy
na,". n, %i>itors nrr not permitted to nl
proa,h nr;trct thar 100 feet, tsc are directed
t. n small working m'se' under a lilac just
or tine garden Here, with tI'. aid Of IL ref
creme, 'ard, W. ntttni. the internal arrange
mrntS of he tower,
I, i, IL i,sll,eS circular building Of stone
nlrl painted white b'O feet in crcumfcrnce
and about sixty in height; thirty feet from
the lm>, on 'hr side facing the garden j, n
snail entrance, just large enough I" admit
the lSarrr' End body, closed by double iron
lt!ot>. Tiles" ,,nrs open on the main plat
Nji'm, which i, paved with large slabs Ut stone
did div >ilrN into thre tows Of shallow npeli
retsptarl>. int which arr placed the naked
rurlyses 10 await the coming of the vut,ircs.
The first, or c,ltcr row, il for mules tI'lult}i
TIL. second for females andtl: thir,l or inner.
row Tor children. These three rows CORES
pond with the thres' not;il preccpt' "f tho
Zoro;.>trian rlis l'ir -.oh deeds, r",i words,
good ,hough'~ f'ptwccn til. rows are foot
paths for the 'snerrs To movo about. In tbs
center of the tower is great we'll l50 feet III
ciIr,lnlfcrrncH,i'ii forty to fifty feet in depth.
into which the TRY lnnc> nro thrown after
hei,lg Ahu'i'st Of flesh. From this great
we'll toward the cardinal points "f tn" com
pass de,r;,. four underground drains, caci.
of t|hirh has ut its ,crniniis, about thirty
scct away, u small wei The 10 tom Of each
* these small wells is covered with d thick
layer Of sand Pieces Of charcoal did sand
St.ulc are also placed at the end Of each drain
This tn" rain water coming from the grra4
we'll and bringing with il, tile ,l,TOnlp'N.''
oS~couS matter passes through tW" ~,3 II
filters for plri"tton before entering tho
ground. 'lic,cby observing Il tenet II thr Xo-
ro,>lriall i"li.ion- that "inothar tR.tll shall
not br ,lriil,rl'
\ corr ~o s carried into the tower by two
bearers. called N;i>,;.slars, who alone aru
privileged to enter; tile clothes are then re-
mrytsl, the body placed in ono Of the rrccl,-
tnrl'N and the iA@rr, Withdraw. Now is til"
opportunity fHr the vuurS to fulfill the
dutn~ "t their Office. Upon tn" approach OF
the procession hundreds Of them nri>" from
Iii" tops Of the palms, which have become
withrrr,l and dead from contact with their
rarrivcrnlS bodies, and hover in cirrl"
nbn," until the bearers have gone. Then
like darts they dts'cml-l boiling. s,4'thins
mass Of carrion. .n"li I;irIirl""f which. Intent
only upon rrrc..'isnrr, is quarrplins and fight
ing with tn, 'thrr in it, horrible work In
al hour or two the corpse i, entirely stripped
Of its flesh; the tones are then lett until per-
f"ctly dried by the heat OF tho tropical sun.
tlcn thrown into the well, where, in co,llA,
Of time, they crunblr to dust. According to
the teachings Of Zoroa,trr, enrtl fire and
wutet IRE sacred, and in order to avoid then,
p5lltioi' II is strictly cnj"incd that the tlcaa
bodies >l''tll not lH buried in the ground OF,
thrown Tito the sea --pntraln Ncws.